FAYETTEVILLE – The icy weather conditions have given the West Craven Eagles an extra day to prepare for its NCHSAA 3-A Eastern Regional game.

The girls’ basketball game, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, will instead be played at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Fayetteville’s Crown Coliseum.

The third-ranked Eagles (26-1) play top-ranked Northern Nash (26-1) with the winner advancing to Saturday’s state semifinals.

With school closed Tuesday, the Eagles were permitted to practice on Tuesday. Several players, during their half day of school Monday, were able to shoot baskets.

“We had a good shootaround yesterday so we are going to have practice today (Tuesday),” West Craven guard Jamie Cherry said. “Hopefully that will prepare us for Wednesday.

“It’s giving us more time to get ready.”

Eagles’ coach David Fernandez said some of the road conditions in the Vanceboro area were still bad at around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“I know everybody else is in the same situation. In our situation, we were given permission to practice,” he said. “Some of the roads are still bad, and basketball isn’t as important as personal safety.

“It may be a by-product of our location, too. We are in the middle of the country. Everybody’s situation is different.”

Fernandez said the team will leave for Fayetteville around noon on Wednesday, stop at a Dairy Queen two hours away off Interstate 95 and arrive at the arena around 4 p.m.

Players can’t start warm-ups until 20 minutes before tipoff.

“Coaching-wise, and competitive-wise, it’s frustrating,” Fernandez said. “As a coach, you want to be prepared for everything. However, having a group of seniors, with this being their third time there, they are not going to be in awe and they know their opponent is going to be tough.

“Having played three games last week, I think the rest is good, but they are itching to go play. That makes me feel good that they are thinking basketball.”

The Eagles are winners of 16 in a row. Its sole loss was to Chapel Hill in December.

Cherry, a senior, is 10 points away from moving into second place on North Carolina’s all-time scoring list. She is averaging 33.6 points per game this season.

Senior Jasmine Raynor is scoring 11.3 points per game and senior Kaylee Koerperich is averaging eight points and eight rebounds per game.

The Eagles are also getting solid contributions from Rendi Wetherington, Lindsey Arthur and Attalia Dixon.

“We have a lot of motivation,” Cherry said. “Any game could be our last game. We have focus and play like it’s going to be our last game.

“Right now, it is real critical for us to have great practices and play hard.”

Northern Nash lost its first game of the season to Southern Wayne, but since then, it has reeled off 26-straight victories.
Knights’ Alexus Hill is putting up 18 points per game. Kiana Thomas is scoring nearly 13 points per game.

“We have to play together, have fun and compete,” Cherry said. “The biggest thing is competing and do what we do, and hopefully if we do that, we will come out with a win.”